george h. w. bush in '92. all of these guys who had been in the presidency, they got on that debate stage and came face- to-face with the challenger. it is rattling. they all had a very difficult time getting through the first debate. in each case, they had to up their game as the series went forward. >> you say, "the morning after the debate, will the media the talking about knockout punches? who knows? a little boldness might make good politics." what do you mean? >> i mean this idea of not approaching this debate as an awful obstacle you have to get over but taking advantage of that opportunity. even for the guys like romney and obama who are used to being on television and addressing huge audiences, these are some of the largest audiences they will ever face in their entire political careers. it is a shame to not take advantage of that. i understand why they are reluctant to do anything to dramatic or too theatrical. on the other hand, it is a platform that could be taken advantage of if they so choose. i